If you are suffering from constipation, it is good to follow a strict vegetarian diet.

Try and eat as many vegetables as possible, without removing the peel, cooked or raw (as a salad). Peels provide the indigestible component, the fiber, which is essential to keep the digestive tract in good health.

Green leafy vegetables like spinach are good for digestion. Eat these as often as you can. Bottle gourd in particular is known to be very effective, even in cases of severe constipation.

Bottle Gourd

In a trial study, a group of patients with chronic digestive disorders was put on an exclusive diet of bottle gourd served in different ways – cut in big pieces, hard boiled in turmeric and served with a dash of salt; grated, boiled and served mixed with diluted yoghurt, etc.

The diet gave relief to 99% of the patients. While more than 50% of the patients responded well to the diet within a week, about 20% responded after five weeks. The rest took two to four weeks to get their bowels regulated.

See that no vegetable is over-cooked. Vegetables work best when they are slightly under-cooked and hard for eating. Overcooked and soft food does not call for adequate chewing. Such partially chewed food takes longer to digest and hence stays in the intestine longer.

Among grains, unpolished whole wheat and whole rice are ideal. Avoid corn based cereals for breakfast. Corn is rich in carbohydrates and too heavy to digest; and corn flakes are laden with preservatives.

Preservatives are complex chemical compounds that interfere with the digestive process.

Eat sprouted beans

You should have sprouted beans. They are good for enzymatic action during the digestion of food. Unsprouted cooked beans on the other hand, especially kidney beans, are rich in carbohydrates and proteins and take longer to digest than sprouted beans.

It is a good idea to avoid having them for dinner. If you are suffering from constipation, you must give them up totally.

Try having plain yoghurt, without salt or sugar, for breakfast. It is known to have the perfect pH and provide a balanced acid-base environment in the digestive tract. The degree of effectiveness may, however, vary from person to person.

No acidic fruit juices

Avoid drinking sour drinks like fresh lemon juice during or after a meal. It is good to avoid using lemons generally, as the acidic nature of the fruit is known to disturb the pH of the digestive tract, leading to indigestion and constipation.

Avoid snacking on bread and preservatives like salted butter, sugary marmalade, etc. Both salt and sugar fall into the category of natural preservatives, which hinder the smooth digestion of food.

Beverages like tea and coffee too are known to inhibit the flow of digestive enzymes, besides irritating the epithelial lining or the wall of the digestive tract. Carbonated drinks are known to harm the gastrointestinal environment the most.

It is best to stop drinking these altogether. Avoid eating excessive spices as well, to keep the digestive process in order.

Have as natural a diet as possible

In general, reduce the intake of all kinds of stimulants, astringents and irritants in food to the minimum. Try to make a habit of avoiding them initially, and then giving them up altogether. It will help you in reducing constipation.